>> live, and in hd, this is washington weekly. >> president obama spent this evening with families in a hospital in aurora, colorado. >> it happened at the same time the shaken community held a vigil to remember the victims of the movie theater shooting. >> the community gathered sunday night to pay tribute to those lost. >> while our hearts are broken, our community is not. we will take this experience and use it to strengthen our commitment to each other. >> some in the crowd wore batman shirts, and noted the symbolism of the film the victims were

watching. >> like the dark night, we will rise again. >> president obama was briefed on the investigation and offered words of comfort to victims and their families. >> words are always inadequate in these types of situations. my main task was to serve as a representative of the entire country, and let them know that we are thinking about them at this moment, and will continue to think about them each and every day. >> authorities believe the suspect has been planning the rampage for months. >> this individual, in my opinion at least is a cold, calculating murderer. >> 12 people died, and nearly 60 were hurt, when a gunman opened fire during a midnight showing of "the dark night rises." >> there were kids, mothers and

daughters. they are dead. >> authorities have not publicly discuss a motive. james holmes is scheduled to appear in court monday. for this grieving community, many at the prayer vigil say they want to focus on stories of courage and strength, not evil and despair. in aurora, colorado. >> more about these issues tonight. >> joining us now is a reporter from politico. we heard president obama talk to families in aurora in colorado. he obviously showed sympathy and shared their morning. he -- their mourning. he was ambiguous about the issue of gun control which has been popping headlines. >> he stayed away from the subject. but at the very end of his

remarks outside the hospital where the victims were, he said something to the effect that we should talk about doing something to prevent this type of senseless violence. he did not say what. most political observers go toward gun control. this is something gun control advocates have been very disappointed with the president over. they thought he would at least push for reauthorization of the assault weapons banned -- bam that expired in 2004. not only has he not done that, but he has signed into law changes that allow people to carry guns in national parks and on amtrak trains. he has been a big disappointment to gun control advocates. >> they're hoping this will have the president come out a little more in their favor. perhaps the president is being careful out of respect for the tragedy. he does not want to usurp that with talking about gun control. >> that is a balance we saw him

strike previously, with the shooting of gaby giffords, the former congresswoman from arizona who was shot, and there was some thought this would either linked to the tea party or extremism more generally. it turned out not to be linked to the tea party. folks were very upset that it was put on them, to some extent. the president again struck a balance between talking about his sympathy, in this case, for somebody he knew well, gaby giffords, but also talking about starting a conversation about gun control. the conversation did not go anywhere. we will see if that changes in this case. >> fund-raising -- it seems like mitt romney has taken the lead. >> mitt romney not only raised more than president obama in campaign funds into his campaign and to the republican national committee and the joint committee that his campaign and

the republican national committee have set up which has been going on for a couple of months but more concerning, he started to raise a significant amount of small donations donations under $200. he saw a huge spike in this area after the health-care decision came down, upholding the individual mandate, president obama's signature health care legislation. that motivated his face. republicans are excited. they think they have the base on board in addition to the big donors. democrats are starting to fret. it is possible mitt romney is closing the gap in small donors. >> you mentioned in your article that on the flip side the super pak that supports obama is gaining some momentum. we will have to check that out. >> absolutely. >> a developing story involving

the embattled mayor of washington d.c. the campaign kept a database of public housing residents it targeted in get out the vote efforts. >> it appears to be an unauthorized use of private government information. we will be looking into this newest development, and will bring you the details tomorrow. congress is looking to close the loophole that lets you buy things on line without paying sales tax. on tuesday the judiciary committee will take up the marketplace fairness act. it will allow states to require online businesses to collect sales tax on any purchases made from a resident. the catch is that states would have to simplify their roles. >> three years after an explosion aboard an oil rig triggered the worst spill in u.s. history, we may finally be getting some answers. the hearing begins in houston on the deepwater horizon disaster. it will include findings by the

chemical board on the disaster that pumped millions of dollars of crude oil into the gulf of mexico. the explosion killed 11 people. >> medical insurance can be expensive, especially with widespread changes. we are now learning that stammers -- scam artists are taking advantage. >> soon after the supreme court ruled on health legislation the calls started coming. people who live in anne arundel seem to be targeted. this resident heard about it. >> i got an e-mail from somebody that it was going around. it said to be aware. >> here is how the call goes. someone claiming to be from the government calls and says that now the health care law has been ruled constitutional, they need to verify your personal information. they ask for things like your

bankrupting number, social security number, and medicare id. >> the social security number is your life. once a person gets your social security number, they can do anything. >> friends are sending e-mails, warning each other about this scam. if you get one of these calls filed a complaint by calling 1- 877-stc-help. you can also file a formal complaint on line. we have a link at wjla.com. abc 7 news. >> coming up, a family of three drops 500 pounds. but they are not done yet. and why they made the big life change. >> plus a protest at the capitol last week. >> we are in the weather center.

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>> we are back now with a look at the week ahead. tomorrow, pat number will be honored at the pat some leadership -- -- pat tillman will be honored.

100 military scholars will join other volunteers for five separate service projects. >> tuesday we could see the biggest aids protest in history, as part of the international aids conference. we may have gotten a taste on wednesday, when several protesters were arrested after setting up a massive display at the reflecting pool. friday is the anniversary of the cdc officially adopting the name acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, back in 1981. >> a schock weekend. the national aquarium has seen a big tribute to the ocean predator. it will include shark feedings and face painting. this is the 13th straight year of shark weekends. >> the coming days are busy for our local sports teams. the washington nationals kick off a series in new york, followed by four games in

milwaukee. d.c. united will host a friendly against paris on saturday night. and the redskins, along with robert griffin are back. the team kicks off training camp on thursday, with open practice. gates open at 1:00 at redskins park. thursday friday, and saturday will no doubt the pact. in maryland family shed 500 pounds between three of them. >> first, we will check in [ male

announcer ] where did all the obama ststimulus money go? friends, donors campaign supporters special interest groups where did the obama stimulus money go? solyndra: 500 million taxpayer dollars. bankrupt. so where did the obama stimulus money go? windmills from china. electric cars from finland 79% of the 2.1 billion in stimulus grants awarded through it went to overseas companies. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney a i approve this message.

>> what can we expect for the week ahead? >> are you ready for the heat and humidity? it is coming back. today, we were about 10 degrees warmer. tomorrow, add another 10 to 12 degrees. and the humidity. outside, quiet and dry but very humid. we will keep the muggy conditions into the day tomorrow. we finally had a little bit of sunshine. 82 degrees for a high. we had a longstanding record, set in 1926. looking at 72 in maryland. they had a high of 83. it is 75 degrees over at muri elementary school, in the district.

temperatures outside southern maryland, 76 degrees. 72 winchester. a degree warmer in cumberland. the real humidity is to the west of us. it will slowly marched east through the next 24 hours. by tomorrow afternoon and two. levels around 70 degrees. it is going to feel more like the middle to upper 90's across much of the area, and even hotter for the day on tuesday. but at the 24 hour temperature change compared to yesterday at this time. now a degrees warmer. the clouds beginning to break apart. partly cloudy skies tonight. a cold front to our northwest will pick up a little bit of steam. by tuesday, it should move across the area. the timing is a little iffy. right now temperatures are in the lower 70's. tomorrow morning, look for a nice sunrise.

temperatures rapidly warm. a daytime high in the mid-90's. a clear night tomorrow night, in the 70's. a rapid warmup tuesday afternoon, followed by showers and thunderstorms. some of these storms will have the potential for some heavy downpours in the gusty winds. we will keep you updated here and on line. tonight, no problems. 68 to 74. highs tomorrow in the mid-90's in the district. chesapeake bay temperatures a little bit cooler. a few pop up thunderstorms late afternoon, early evening. high temperatures cooling off behind the cold front. when i say cooling off upper 80's. it will not be quite as human and uncomfortable. but the heat and humidity will return by the end of the week. so far this year, we have had 18

days at 95 degrees or better. we are going to continue that streak. we are hotter than we were last year. >> i am looking at this fascinating paul you guys have online about your favorite cloud. >> stratus. >> but only 16% like that. >> you think cumulus is popular just because of carly simon? >> that is possible. >> vote on the website. >> that will make you sleep better. a 24-year-old takes a drastic step to save his family. >> after losing 500 pounds, they are not done yet.

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>> a maryland family has decided to change their lives by losing weight. >> so far the family of three has dropped 500 pounds, and they are still going. >> what you are looking at now are size 50. i am down to size 34. >> matthew hoover can fit both legs into one leg of his old jeans. last august, he was creeping toward 400 pounds. diagnosed with hypothyroidism and high blood pressure at 24, he did not want to have the same

obesity related illnesses his parents suffered. his father was taking insulin shots for diabetes. his mother was taking 48 pills a day, and just to stay alive. >> i could not walk a flight of steps without having to stop in the middle and use my rescue in taylor. >> the entire family decided to have bet -- have gastric bypass surgery. michelle has lost 218 pounds, and credits her doctor with saving her life. >> he did not think i would live to see 50, had i not chosen to do this and lose the weight. >> her husband is now off all his medications. >> my heaviest was 296. something. >> gastric bypass surgery involves stapling the stomach to crate a pouch no longer than a cool fall. part of the ball is attached to the pouch.

>> it is a surgery that helps you eat less, lose the weight, and learn a new lifestyle. >> as machu showed us his old belt, he talked about training for his first ever 5 k road race. this will be the first time he has ever participated in any kind of a race. these family members are still losing weight, thanks to a very different lifestyle. >> that is an accomplishment. >> it is